Taco Wars Lawsuit in a Galaxy Somewhere in NYC…

May 21st, 2015. By LucyC

A Star Wars sequel no one’s been waiting for? Two restaurant owners in New York who sued each other have been likened by friends to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader—and it’s all over tacos…

One of Manhattan’s trendiest taco shacks (key word: shack)—Rockaway Taco—was the subject of a legal battle—by its two owners, ok, not new. David Selig, the alleged business brains behind the operation, (AKA Darth Vader—surprised?) thought something was fishy (bad, I know) when he saw that his business partner and chef—Andrew Day Field (Luke Skywalker) had taken out ads for his new Tacoway Beach in Queens in the local media. Furious, Selig filed suit claiming his now former business partner was engaged in “unfairly and deliberately destroying his business,” according to court papers obtained by The New York Post.

And all from the humble taco. Well, maybe a bit more than that. The eatery has been mentioned in Vogue and New York magazines, and is famous for its lineups as well as its food. But, lineups or not, the tilapia tacos, which sell for $3, have netted the boys more than $600,000 a year—shelling out 1,200 tacos a day. If you do the math—that’s a whole lot of fish…

Sadly, despite their success, the two men just couldn’t agree on how to run their business—not an unfamiliar story. So, Field thought—there’s more fish in the sea, and set about opening his own shack just nine blocks away.

But meanwhile, back in their old universe, Selig had other plans, and filed for a restraining order to prevent Field from opening a “rival business,” according to the lawsuit.

So, scaling things up, Field shot back, arguing that such a move would leave his workers unemployed and he would be “wiped” out financially. Wait—there’s more—he also accused Selig of not paying him $30,000 of his salary, despite his having worked “no less than 13 hours a day seven days a week” for their joint venture. Nice…that’s the entrepreneurial spirit.

According to the Post, the relationship between the two men became so bad that one of Field’s friends got a little creative with an original “Star Wars” poster, casting Field as Skywalker and Selig as Darth Vader, and put it on Instagram, for posterity…?

“In a galaxy far far Rockaway,” @rockawaymilitia said.

But, there is a happily ever after here, which doesn’t involve a Princess Leah, likely for the best. Selig and Field reached a deal, giving Selig full control of Rockaway Taco and permission for Field to open Tacoway Beach… in a galaxy near Queens…

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